A Surprising New Rival Emerges for Pokémon

Sure, here’s that rewritten in a more chaotic, human way:

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So, like, every single video game genre seems to have its king, right? And for “monster collecting,” it’s gotta be Pokemon. Seriously, that series has been chugging along for — what? — nearly 30 years! Nine main generations and a bazillion spin-offs. Wild. Some other games — heard of Palworld or Temtem, maybe? — tried to snatch the crown. And now, surprise, surprise, HoYoverse is throwing their hat in the ring. Why not, right?

Here’s the kicker, though. Pokemon’s the big boss now, but it wasn’t the first in line. Nah, Shin Megami Tensei was doing the monster thing way before, with a dash of combat to boot. Pokemon just jazzed it up with cute critters and stories that hit the younger crowd. That said, fans have been grumbling recently. Too easy, no new stuff — the usual complaints. So maybe, just maybe, other developers are smelling blood in the water?

Okay, HoYoverse is out here, mixing things up with Honkai: Nexus Anima. Saw this teaser with Kiana Kaslana from Honkai Impact 3rd — she’s with this adorable, pastry-pup-thing. Kind of quirky, kind of cool, I guess? Anyway, she bumps into Blade from Honkai: Star Rail. And his critter’s there, too. They’re probably throwing down Pokemon-style. No solid info yet, but it screams “Hey, we’re doing this Pokemon thing too!”

Makes sense for HoYoverse. Their games are already crawling with cute creatures. Honkai: Star Rail’s got them, Genshin’s got them — foxes, weasels, dogs, you name it. And, yes, Zenless Zone Zero and Honkai Impact 3rd have their fair share, too. The groundwork’s there, sort of.

Oh, listen to this: the Pokemon format made a cameo in Honkai: Star Rail during the Aetherium Wars event. Players got to mess around with turn-based creature combat. Like, why not, right? HoYoverse probably figured it’s time for a full-blown Pokemon-esque game. They’ve nailed it on the creature front, so why not go all the way?

As for timing? Well, the next Pokemon title, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, is rumored to drop late this year. No fixed date, though. Honkai: Nexus Anima might snag some fans if they launch a bit sooner. And seriously, the buzz around Palworld and Temtem has cooled off lately. Maybe the perfect storm for Nexus Anima to swoop in, who knows?

Getting to the nitty-gritty — can Honkai: Nexus Anima outrun Pokemon? It’s tough because, let’s face it, Pokemon has like a thousand species and counting. A bit overwhelming, if you ask me. Nexus Anima’s gotta find its sweet spot, like how Palworld did with all that base-building and working Pals. Maybe HoYoverse leans into its character lineup, offers something extra? Could be fun to see what they come up with. Who knows if it’ll stack up against the giant that is Pokemon. Only time will tell, I guess.

There you go — my brain dump on the subject.